Whatever Became of Rick Pinette of the Eighties Band, Oak? [Video]

Rick Pinette is one of my favorite singers ever...not just because he's from Maine but because he is just so good. But his history after Oak may surprise you! It sure did me!

I had heard that he went to Florida and became a preacher, which I thought was nice. Sure, I'd be sad that he wouldn't be lending his talents to rock and roll anymore but, if that was his calling, good for him. But wait, there's more!

Sometime after he left Oak, he appeared on the show of a notable televangelist, Benny Hinn (who turned 63 today, thus the discussion we had about Oak).

On this show, Hinn performed one of his usual miracles by raising a cripple man out of a wheel chair. That man was Rick Pinette!

What? Rick Pinette was wheelchair bound? Never did I hear that story. Neither did anyone else. But the people in that audience were moved when he stood up, "cried," and walked around the stage. He even grabbed a microphone and began singing the song the orchestra was playing! I guess the fact that he knew all the words was part of the miracle.

I don't mean to skeptical because I do believe in God and his healing power. But this seemed far-fetched to me. He allegedly fell on ice which caused him an injury that bound him to a wheelchair, but I could find nothing about it in any unbiased posts using Google. Wouldn't that come up somewhere? I mean Rick Pinette was a big deal and an accident like that would at least show up in some kind of search, wouldn't it?

To be fair to him, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt as he shares this story at RickPinette.com.

...He became a Christian, but everything was about ready to take a turn that would deepen their beliefs forever. After stepping out of his tour bus, one winter night, he slipped and fell on an icy step. He was now confined to a wheelchair until....

....Being confined to bed rest, took its toll on Rick. With his records now off the charts, he fell into a deep depression. Rick and Cheryl's new Pastors advised them to take time off. Since they had decided to go to Florida, they were advised to visit the Orlando Christian Center where Pastor Benny Hinn was holding Healing Services.
Although both born-again, the idea of Divine Healing was still foreign to them. Upon entering the church, they saw people being prayed for at the end of the first service. Some were falling over backwards. This was a little too strange for them. They wanted to leave but God had another plan. An usher thought that they were just coming in, so he rushed Rick to the front. As the Pastor was preaching, people began to lay hands on Rick and praying for God's intervention to help him with his inability to walk. At the end of the service, Rick was miraculously healed.

So now he's a preacher/motivational speaker and I wish him all the best and, as I said, I give him the benefit of the doubt on the Benny Hinn miracle. He doesn't hide from it as it is posted on his own Youtube channel.

Below, find a bunch of videos from Oak's heyday. They had songs that hit the national chart like "This is Love," "King of the Hill" and "Set the Night on Fire."

The last videos are from "the miracle" and his preaching days as "Pastor Rick" in Florida. He IS a very good speaker, I must say. But I just want to hear him sing.

Would I pay to seem him sing some of those old Oak songs if he came here tomorrow? Absolutely!